Make Yourself a Tiny Coworker

I want a tiny coworker: a small character based on me (a drawing, a cartoon or a cut-out photo of me), or a mascot like my pet or my product, that I can reuse on my posts, flyers, signs, handouts, texts or pages. My work could be a physical product, a service, a class, an event, a local business or something digital. Help me plan it so it has real jobs and looks like the same character every time.

Find out these things. Each has a purpose. I may not be able to answer the direct version, so start with easier, concrete questions that get to the same place:
- what I make, sell, teach or run, and the one place the character will show up first (purpose: so its jobs fit real moments; try “where do people see your work most: posts, flyers, a sign, texts or a page?”)
- the moments where my customers get stuck, get something wrong or are happy (purpose: each one becomes a job; try “what do people ask you right before they buy or book?” or “what do they get wrong afterwards?”)
- how I'd like to make it: a cut-out photo of me, a drawing by me or someone I know, a mascot (like my pet or product, photographed and cut out), or an image tool working from my photos (purpose: something I can actually do this week; if I'm not sure, recommend one)
- the look: what I usually wear, one prop that says what I do, two or three colors, and anything I don't want shown (purpose: what stays the same so people recognize it; try “what are you usually wearing or holding when you work?”)

How I'd like you to work:
- I'm on my phone, so start straight away with your first question. No introduction.
- Ask one short question at a time and wait for my answer. Say in a few words why you're asking.
- Start with the easier, concrete version of each question.
- When it helps, give me 2 to 4 numbered choices, with "something else" last, so I can reply with a number.
- If an answer is vague, ask for one real example instead of guessing. Use what I've already told you, and skip anything you can work out.
- Stop once you have enough. That's usually three to five questions. If I already know where it goes or what its jobs are, build on that and skip those questions. If I say "just do it", make your best guess and tell me what you assumed.
- Write for a phone screen: plain words, short lines, no tables, no jargon.

When you have enough, give me:
- A name for my tiny coworker and one line on who it is.
- Three jobs, each tied to a real moment for my customers: where it appears, what it's doing, what it's holding, and a short line of words to put next to it.
- A "keep it the same" list: outfit, prop, colors and style, short enough to save in my notes.
- How to make the first one this week, the way I picked, in 3 to 5 short steps. For a cut-out photo: the three photos to take and how to stand. For a drawing: what to draw first. For an image tool: name one or two to try, then one description I can copy and paste there along with my photos.
- How to check it: at the size people will see it (on a phone, or from across the room for a flyer or sign), and all three side by side.

Don't try to make the picture yourself: give me the plan and the words. Don't make up how I look; ask, or leave a gap for me to fill. Keep words, prices and dates out of the picture itself, next to it as normal text, so I can change them. Nothing that copies someone else's character or brand. Keep it small enough to make the first one next week.

A filled-in example

These are illustrative details. Use your own information.

I want a tiny coworker: a small character based on me (a drawing, a cartoon or a cut-out photo of me), or a mascot like my pet or my product, that I can reuse on my posts, flyers, signs, handouts, texts or pages. My work could be a physical product, a service, a class, an event, a local business or something digital. Help me plan it so it has real jobs and looks like the same character every time.

Find out these things. Each has a purpose. I may not be able to answer the direct version, so start with easier, concrete questions that get to the same place:
- what I make, sell, teach or run, and the one place the character will show up first (purpose: so its jobs fit real moments; try “where do people see your work most: posts, flyers, a sign, texts or a page?”)
- the moments where my customers get stuck, get something wrong or are happy (purpose: each one becomes a job; try “what do people ask you right before they buy or book?” or “what do they get wrong afterwards?”)
- how I'd like to make it: a cut-out photo of me, a drawing by me or someone I know, a mascot (like my pet or product, photographed and cut out), or an image tool working from my photos (purpose: something I can actually do this week; if I'm not sure, recommend one)
- the look: what I usually wear, one prop that says what I do, two or three colors, and anything I don't want shown (purpose: what stays the same so people recognize it; try “what are you usually wearing or holding when you work?”)

How I'd like you to work:
- I'm on my phone, so start straight away with your first question. No introduction.
- Ask one short question at a time and wait for my answer. Say in a few words why you're asking.
- Start with the easier, concrete version of each question.
- When it helps, give me 2 to 4 numbered choices, with "something else" last, so I can reply with a number.
- If an answer is vague, ask for one real example instead of guessing. Use what I've already told you, and skip anything you can work out.
- Stop once you have enough. That's usually three to five questions. If I already know where it goes or what its jobs are, build on that and skip those questions. If I say "just do it", make your best guess and tell me what you assumed.
- Write for a phone screen: plain words, short lines, no tables, no jargon.

When you have enough, give me:
- A name for my tiny coworker and one line on who it is.
- Three jobs, each tied to a real moment for my customers: where it appears, what it's doing, what it's holding, and a short line of words to put next to it.
- A "keep it the same" list: outfit, prop, colors and style, short enough to save in my notes.
- How to make the first one this week, the way I picked, in 3 to 5 short steps. For a cut-out photo: the three photos to take and how to stand. For a drawing: what to draw first. For an image tool: name one or two to try, then one description I can copy and paste there along with my photos.
- How to check it: at the size people will see it (on a phone, or from across the room for a flyer or sign), and all three side by side.

Don't try to make the picture yourself: give me the plan and the words. Don't make up how I look; ask, or leave a gap for me to fill. Keep words, prices and dates out of the picture itself, next to it as normal text, so I can change them. Nothing that copies someone else's character or brand. Keep it small enough to make the first one next week.

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HOW IT GOES (a made-up example)
Claude: What do you make or run, and where do people see it most? (So the jobs fit real moments.) 1. Posts 2. Flyers or signs 3. Texts to customers 4. Something else
You: 3, I groom dogs from my garage
Claude: What do owners ask before they book, or get wrong afterwards? (Each one can become a job.)
You: When's the next trim. And they never brush between visits.
…two more short questions, then: “Tiny you” in your green apron with a brush. Job 1: holding a leash next to the booking text, “Next trim in 6 weeks? Reply with a day.” Job 2: brush up, eyebrow raised, “Brush twice a week.” Job 3: cheering by a fluffy dog in the pickup text, “All done, ready at 3.”